If you are a wine enthusiast, then you’d surely have experienced at least one incident whence wine spilt over your lovely dress, or that posh carpet in your hall. No matter how careful you are, it can happen to the best of us! But fret not, removing red wine stains might be difficult, but it is not impossible!
Below are a few tried & tested measures you can undertake to get that stain out –
Remove Wet Red Wine Stains
1. Salt
This method works wonders for those fancy carpets and rugs. Work fast, and blot as much of the wine as possible using tissue papers. Remember not to rub, since it would only enhance the damage already done. Cover the stain with salt, so much so that you can’t even see the stain anymore. Now, wait for the salt to work its magic and soak up all the wine. Once it's done, vacuum everything up, and the stain underneath would be gone.
2. Boiling Water / Club Soda
The use of club soda to get the stain out is a pretty attractive option, but if that isn’t available, you can make use of boiling water too. Quickly pour the liquid over the affected area. Keep pouring it until the colour of the stain starts fading away. Once the stain is washed off, let the fabric dry. Clean the area with paper towels, and you’ll hopefully see no trace of the spilt wine.
P.S. you can combine the above two methods for a more efficient result. First, cover the stain with salt, and then pour the soda/water over it. Leave the stain like this for an hour, waiting for the liquid to dry up. Once it's done, brush off the excess salt and see your fabric all neat and tidy.
3. Detergent and Hydrogen Peroxide
Pour or sponge the stained area with soap/detergent generously. Blot the affected area with paper towels after letting the soap sit for a little while. The stain should disappear once the soap does its work.
Always remember to place tissues between a two-sided piece of clothing, to prevent leakage onto the other side.
Remove Dry Red Wine Stains
Removing stains that have dried over is much trickier. Since the wine has already soaked into the material/fabric, a more rigorous process is required to get the stain out.
1. Shaving Cream
Spray the shaving cream all over the stain. Spread/flatten the foam over the cloth with a knife or spoon, let it dry for a few minutes, and let the thick and frothy texture of the shaving foam lift the stain right off your fabric. You can then wash the piece of clothing as usual.
2. Vodka
It would break your heart to do this, but you might need to pour that beloved bottle of vodka you have hidden away, onto something that you spilt your red wine over. Pour vodka over the entire stain, blot it with a piece of cloth or paper towel, and wait for the alcohol to seep into the fabric. The stain will gradually start fading away.
3. White Wine & Baking Soda
This method is a bit ironic since it involves pouring more wine over a wine stain. It is believed that white wine dilutes the colour of red wine, preventing the stain from setting into the cloth. Pour white wine over the affected area, until the stain is completely drenched. Make a paste of baking soda and water with a 3:1 ratio. Now you have to spread a thick layer of this paste over the stain, and let it stay like this for over an hour. Keep spraying the affected area with water to maintain the area moist and not let the stain set into the fabric. Once the stain is gone, wash your cloth and drink up rest of the white wine, preferably without spillage!
Give these techniques a try, and if you still can’t get the stain out, then assume that you’re all out of luck. Crack open another bottle of wine to calm your mind and relieve the pain of spoiling that beautiful dress/carpet.
